Page 160 of All This Time

Rhonan pulls me into his chest, rubbing my back as I cry. I’ve been holding it in, trying to be strong for Fletcher, but being able to share in this grief with my brother is exactly what I needed. “Shhh. It’s okay.”

“I miss her so much, Rho.”

“Fuck, I know. I do too, Laney.”

“I can’t help but wonder what our lives would be like if she didn’t die.”

He kisses the top of my head. “I think about that every day, especially now.” We sit there for a minute, letting everything I just admitted settle between us. “Where is Fletcher?”

“He’s in Charlotte. He had a meeting with his agent and PR team on how to tackle this thing with his dad.” I sit up tall again, wiping my nose on my sleeve. “When we went to see Luke in the hospital, Fletcher gave him an ultimatum. He either goes to rehab to get help and admits that he hit his son, or Fletcher doesn’t want to hear from him ever again.”

“What did Luke say?”

“I don’t know what he’s going to do. We left before Fletcher gave him the opportunity to respond, and then Fletcher took me to Charlotte to let everything die down here until you guys could hash it all out.”

“When will Fletcher be back?”

“In a few days. I hope by then you can find a level head so you two can talk.”

“He makes you happy?” he asks as I stand. “Treats you well?”

“He makes me so ridiculously happy that I’m terrified. But he loves me for me, Rhonan. That’s all Mom and Dad ever wanted for us. And one day, I know you’ll find that again too. I hate that you lost Sarah, but I hope you can remain hopeful that you’re not destined to live a life without a partner again. I thought that was my fate for the longest time, but Fletcher has shown me that timing is everything. We just have to be open to the opportunity.”

***

When I pull into my driveway, I sit in my car for a few minutes before making my way inside. Fletcher has only been gone for two days, but I already hate how empty my little house and my world feel without him.

The space he takes up here isn’t nearly as much as what he occupies in my mind and my heart, but in just two short weeks, his presence became a permanent fixture in my life that I never want to live without again.

As I pop a frozen pizza in the oven for dinner, I realize I haven’t checked my mail. I head back outside to the mailbox, and when I open it, I gasp when I see what’s inside.

A pink tulip lies on top of a postcard with a picture of Cincinnati on the front. I pull them out of the mailbox and flip the card over to find Fletcher’s familiar handwriting.

My dearest Laney,

Cincinnati was the first city I traveled to for an away game in the NFL. I was walking through the airport and I saw a display of postcards and instantly thought of you. Since that day, I bought a postcard from every city I’ve been to, even though I never knew if I’d get the chance to send them to you. But now I finally do get that chance.

You—my angel—have given me so much more than I can ever thank you for. Your light, your smile, your body, your love. I am eternally grateful. This is just the first postcard of many that we can share with our grandkids when we’re old and gray. And maybe our granddaughter will put them on her mirror in her room to use as a symbol of love to look up to—because our love is eternal, baby. Nothing can ever come between us again.

I love you. See you soon.

Fletcher AKA Lucifer

I can barely see the words on the card as I laugh through my tears.

“Are you crying?” Dilynne walks up to me. “I saw you from the window and got scared when you looked like you were staring down at the ground.”

“I’m good.” I lift my head to look at my best friend, a smile on my lips and tears still streaming down my face.

“You don’t look like it. You look like you need to invest in some waterproof mascara.” I hand her the postcard and then lift the tulip to my nose, inhaling deeply. “What’s this?” Dilynne grows quiet as she reads Fletcher’s words, and when she looks back up at me, she has tears in her eyes too. “Damn it, Adams.” She swipes under her eyes.

“I know.” Sighing, I pull her into my side. “I’m going to be Laney Adams one day,” I say, staring off at the mountains in the distance.

“Yes, you are, my friend. Yes, you are.”

Chapter 30

Fletcher